What About Us?
by tashameg
Summary: Katniss discovers she is pregnant with Gale's child, and upon finding out, Gale denies it. Heartbroken but still hopeful, Katniss sets out on several escapades to win Gale back, but on the way she is befriended by Peeta Mellark and his group of friends. Will their support be enough to help her through it? Peenis/Keeta (Peeta x Katniss) HIGH SCHOOL AU. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

Maybe the test was wrong. Tests can be faulty, right? I shook it a few more times, but there it was. Just staring up at me. That damn red plus. In that small second my whole world crashed around me. I was meant to go to college, then get married and then possibly have a kid. And now I have to skip straight to having the kid. After my father passed away and my mother fell into a crippling depression, I took over the household. It was hard, and I promised myself I wouldn't have a child unless I was absolutely certain I could care for it. And I sure as hell can't care for a baby when I'm only 16. But before I make plans concerning this baby, I need to tell him. He should know that he's going to be a dad.

I wait outside the coffee shop, my eyes searching up and down the crowded street for a sign of him. I feel a weight on my shoulder and I flinch, my head flicking around to glare at whoever touched me. But instead of being met with the eyes of a stranger, I'm met with piercing grey eyes, staring at me intently.  
"Gale," I breathe. He kisses my cheek and slides into the seat in front of me.  
"Hey Catnip," he says with a small smile. I smile back until I realise why we're here.  
"Uh," I stutter a few times, trying to figure out how to best phrase what I'm about to say. There's not exactly a way to sugar-coat it. "Gale, uh, I'm… Well, uh, it's hard to explain. But, uh, I'm… pregnant. I'm pr-pregnant. A-and you're the father," I say quickly. A few looks register on his face. I'm only able to make out shock, and then… rage?  
"No, I'm not," he spits. "You whore. Who else did you sleep with, because that kid sure as hell is not mine!" His voice rises as he says this and people turn their heads to look at us. Gale gets up and kicks his chair out from underneath him, collecting his things and walking away. I jump up and chase after him, grabbing his arm and trying to stop the flow of tears already threatening to pour out.  
"Gale, please, stop!" I say quietly, tugging at his arm and trying to get him to stop. He shoves my arm off and picks up his pace.  
"Don't come near me. You disgust me! You filthy slut!" He's yelling now and the tears are freely flowing down my face.  
"Gale, no! I didn't sleep with anyone but you! Please, just let me explain!" I beg him, reaching for his sleeve and attempting to pull him back. He stops and I think he's going to let me talk. But all he does is turn around and push me to the ground then runs off. I'm shocked more than I am hurt. Gale's never hurt me or spoken to me like that. And I'm too shocked to move. I just sit here, on the pavement, ignoring all of the help being offered by other people walking down the street. After about ten minutes I finally pick myself up and brush the dust from my pants. I make my way home, stopping at the bakery to pick up a loaf of bread. I choose the bread and I'm about to pay when the person serving me recognizes me.  
"Katniss?" I hear a familiar voice say. I look up and see big blue eyes. Eyes that match those of my biology partner Peeta Mellark.  
"Peeta. Hi," I say, trying my hardest not to sound like I've been crying.  
"Are you okay?" he asks me. I nod but before I can help it I've burst into tears. He rushes around the counter and grabs my shoulders, turning me to face him. "What's wrong?" I just shake my head and run out of the store, leaving behind the bread. I run until I'm safely home and in the comfort of my bedroom. I lie down on the bed and just cry and hug my pillow. After I don't think I can cry any more, I get up and leave my room, intent on eating something chocolate. In the kitchen I find a tub of ice-cream and grab a bowl and a scoop. I'm about to scoop my ice-cream out when I hear a knock at the door. I trudge through the living room and open the door, expecting to find Prim's friend Rue. But who I don't expect is Peeta Mellark, holding my bread and soaking wet from the rain I hadn't even noticed was pouring.  
"Peeta?" I ask. He nods and holds out the loaf of bread I was meant to purchase today.  
"You forgot your bread," he says as I take the loaf and pull my purse out of my pocket.  
"Oh. Thanks. How much was it?" I ask, but he just shakes his head and steps back out into the rain.  
"Don't worry about it," he says as he turns and starts walking away.  
"But I didn't pay!" I yell over the thunder that's decided to make an appearance. "And you're soaked. You must be freezing!" He just shrugs and continues walking, waving as he turns the corner. I watch until he's gone and then close the door, walking into the kitchen and setting the loaf on the kitchen counter. My chocolate craving has come and gone and I set the ice-cream back in the freezer and instead take out the butter and a knife. I chop a slice of the bread that Peeta just brought over and spread butter over it. I finish the slice in no time and before I know it I'm onto my fifth slice. I put what's left of the bread away and throw the butter into the fridge. It hits something glass and I hear a crack. _Shit._ I look in the fridge to assess the damage and then I spot what the butter hit. A wine bottle._ What's that doing in here?_ It's half empty and was hidden behind a carton of milk. _But… Mum quit drinking months ago… _After Dad died Mum started heavily drinking. She was drunk nearly every day and was never even sober enough to talk to us half of the time. Then she started going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings where she met somebody named Haymitch. Now she's quit and they're good friends. _But if she's quit, why is this in here?_ I don't want to think about it anymore and I pour the remainder of the wine down the sink. I walk into my bedroom and crash on the bed. Prim should be home from karate soon and then I can talk to her. I drift into a dreamless sleep and eventually I hear my door open. "Prim?" I rasp as I sit up. I see her standing in the doorway dressed in her pyjamas and she comes in and sits on her bed.  
"Hey," she says with a smile. "You were asleep for a while and I didn't want to wake you."  
"What time is it?" I ask. She points to the clock and I look to see 10:14 flashing on the screen. "It's late. Why aren't you in bed? You've got school tomorrow."  
"I couldn't sleep," she says nonchalantly. I move over in the bed and pat the space next to her. She immediately gets under the blankets and snuggles next to me. In a few minutes we're both asleep.

"Prim! Hurry up, we're gonna be late!" I screech as I wait for her at the bottom of the stairs.  
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yells as she pulls her jacket on and makes her way down the stairs. We yell bye to Mum and then jump in the car.  
"So are you excited?" I ask a bouncing Prim sarcastically.  
"About what?" she asks as she stares out the window at the passing fields.  
"I don't know, what's gotten you so bouncy?" I ask with a smile. She simply blushes and refuses to answer. "Ooh, is it a boy?" I tease. She reddens and burrows her face into her hands. "It is, isn't it? Tell me Primmy, who is it? Tell Catnip!" I stop once I realise what I'd just called myself. Only Gale used to call me that. And now he won't be calling me anything because he hates me.  
"Katniss, are you okay? You look a little pale," Prim notes. Suddenly a wave of nausea takes over and I pull the car over quickly and jump out, holding my hands over my mouth until I'm by the trees where I empty the contents of my stomach into the bushes. Prim rushes up behind me and grabs my arm once I've finished retching. "Are you okay? Do you need to go home?" I just shake my head and make my way back to the car. Once in the car I turn to Prim and tell her I'm fine.  
"But do you have any gum?" I ask. She smiles a little and reaches into her bag, pulling out a small packet of mint gum. "Thanks," I say as I pop a piece into my mouth. We pull into the school parking lot and I get out, grabbing our bags from the back, handing Prim her floral yellow one and slinging my plain boring brown one over my shoulder. I walk with Prim and she walks off to her campus while I make my way towards mine. I look up at the school entrance to walk up the steps and I'm met with a sneer and a shove. Both of which came from one Gale Hawthorne.

**This is my first AU, so I hope you don't hate it. So be nice and review? Next chapter up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here it is, the second chapter. Thanks to everybody who favourited and followed the story. It means a lot that people actually read my stuff. Also, I forgot in my last chapter to put a disclaimer. So, just so everybody knows, I don't own the Hunger Games.**

One second I'm walking and the next I'm on the ground. I barely felt myself falling. Gale is towering over me and glaring at me as I collect my books and attempt to get up. I stand up and look him in the eyes, fighting back tears as I mumble, "Asshole."  
"Stupid whore," he retorts. I shove past him and run towards the school entrance. I run until I'm in front of the History classroom and where my friend Madge Undersee waits for me. I turn the corner and see her there. She notices me and smiles, and I can't help but smile back. She pulls me into a hug and I hug her back, desperate to feel somebody's hand on me when they're not pushing me down.  
"You okay, Katty? You look down," she asks, a concerned look etched into her features. I nod and give her a what I hope passed off as a smile.  
"Yeah, I just didn't sleep much, that's all," I reassure her. She nods but eyes me suspiciously, and before I know it I've already gripped my stomach, feeling it and wondering if she can tell. There's a silence and we just stand there watching the people walk by in the hallway. The bell goes and I grab her hand, pulling her into the classroom. We choose a seat at the back, where we usually always try to sit. I don't care for history, and Miss Trinket doesn't care for me, so I tend to sit up the back so she can ignore me and I can ignore the lesson. Everybody has filed into the classroom by the time Miss Trinket walks in, her heels clacking against the polished tile floor.  
"Good morning, class!" Miss Trinket says in her annoyingly high-pitched voice. There are a few murmurs of acknowledgement and Miss Trinket grabs a marker and turns around to write on the board. Whilst her back is turned, a blonde boy pokes his head through the door and slowly searches around the room for an empty seat. He finds the seat at the same time I do, and it's the seat on my left. He quickly runs to the desk and sits just before Miss Trinket turns around to reveal the words _'Ancient Civilisations'_. The class groans. Miss Trinket is notorious for giving assignments on the first day back. Miss Trinket begins to talk and the class starts to take notes. I look to my left and then realise the boy next to me is Peeta. He flicks his eyes up to me and gives me a small smile. I start taking notes, but after a while I zone out. I unconsciously stroke my abdomen. After a couple of minutes of daydreaming, I feel something hit the side of my face. I look down to my desk to see a crumpled up piece of paper. I pick it up and my read it and my fist squeezes it back into a ball.

_**DUMB SLUT  
**_  
I just shove the piece of paper in my pocket and ignore it. It's not good to let him get to me. But I miss him. And I want him back. So, so badly. I need him back. And I _will_ get him back. One way or another.

I stand outside of the middle school waiting for Prim. After a couple of minutes I spot her walking hand in hand with a boy a couple of inches taller than her. They're talking animatedly and then they kiss. It was just a small peck, but I noticed, and I was happy for her. After she bids him goodbye she spots me and runs up to me, grinning like a fool.  
"Hey Katniss!" she says as she embraces me in a hug.  
"Hello little duck," I say, hugging her back. "Who was that?" She blushes but answers anyway.  
"Rory. He's my boyfriend," she explained quietly. I laugh and pull her to the car. While I drive Prim tells me all about Rory. And then it clicks.  
"Wait – his name is Rory Hawthorne?" I interrupt her. She nods and takes a bite out of her apple. "As in Gale Hawthorne's brother?" She nods again.  
"Yeah. I think it's cool that we're dating brothers," she squeals.  
"No, we _were_ dating brothers. Gale and I broke up, Primmy," I whine.  
"_What?_ When did this happen? And when were you planning on telling me?" Prim demanded.  
"I was getting to it, Prim!" I snap. She goes silent. After a minute or two I speak up. "Prim, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just that a lot has been happening and telling my little sister that I'm no longer dating anybody wasn't really my top priority." She nods silently.  
"Wait, what do you mean? What's been happening?" she asks me. I consider telling her. I can trust her. But what if she tells Mum? She'll kill me. No. I can't tell her yet.  
"Don't you worry, little duck," I say as we pull into our driveway. She jumps out of the car and runs up the stairs leading into our house. I follow after her and unlock the door. We enter the house. Prim bounds off up the stairs and I trudge into the kitchen, intent on making a sandwich. I make my sandwich and walk up to my room, taking a juice carton out of the fridge as I go. When I sit down I eat silently and my hand rests on my stomach. It still looks flat, but it won't for long, and I worry about how much longer I'll be able to hide it. Somebody will catch on sooner or later. I do the only thing I can think of. I grab my phone and call Madge. She picks up on the third ring.  
"Hello?" Her chirpy voice rings through the receiver.  
"Madge, I need you," I say.  
"Okay. I'll be there soon." She hangs up and I lay down on my back, sipping my juice. There's a knock at the door and I jump up to get it, but by the time I get there Prim has already answered the door.  
"Katniss is in her room," I hear Prim's voice say. I hear Madge's voice as well and I emerge from the hallway to see her. She sees me and folds me into a hug. I hug her back and then drag her upstairs. We sit on my bed and talk about the history homework Miss Trinket assigned us – a 2000 word essay on the Aztecs. We make jokes about her horrible dress sense and then after the laughter dies out, Madge grabs my hands and looks me in the eyes.  
"Now, I'm pretty sure you didn't call me to come here just so we could make fun of Miss Trinket's dress sense," she says softly. I nod and I can feel the tears beginning to flow.  
"You have to promise you won't judge me," I say quietly. She nods.  
"Katty, I would never judge you. Tell me," she whispers.  
"I'm pr-pregnant," I mumble before I burst into tears. I feel her pull me into her arms and I can hear her whispering something, but I don't process anything in that moment.  
"It's going to be alright," she declares once I pull away. "Have you told Gale?" I nod and the tears get heavier.  
"I told him a-and he accused me of cheating on h-him. He called me a slut and said the baby wasn't h-his," I say between hiccups. "H-he hates me!" I howl.  
"Did you two break up?" she asks me softly. I nod and she sighs and kisses my forehead. "And do you want to keep the baby?"  
"I don't know… Should I?" I ask, mopping my tears away with my hands.  
"It's up to you. I won't tell anybody," she promises.  
"I want him back," I say after a while.  
"Why?" Madge asks. I know that it sounds absurd, but I need him.  
"Because I need him. And I love him." There's a few moments of silence until Madge speaks up.  
"Then we'll have to get him back for you, won't we, Katty?" Madge says quietly. I look up at her.  
"Would you really help me get him back?" I ask. She nods and smiles. She stays for a while until her dad calls her and says he needs her back home. Once her drives car drives off I notice that it's almost 10:30. I crawl into bed and stare at the ceiling until I eventually fall asleep.

When I wake up Prim is standing over me, shaking me. I'm covered in sweat.  
"Katniss, are you okay? What's wrong? You were screaming like a banshee!" she says in one breath.  
"I'm f-fine, Prim. Don't worry," I reassure her. She hugs me and I move over so she can crawl into bed. She gets in and we just sit there, holding each other.  
"Katniss?" Prim mumbles.  
"Yeah, little duck?" I reply. She turns her head to look up at me.  
"What did you mean when you said a lot has been happening," she inquires. "You can tell me." I really do want to tell her. And she's going to find out one way or another. I open my mouth to tell her but I'm interrupted by my phone going off. I pick it up and read it. It's from Gale.

_I'm sorry. Come outside? 3_

I'm out of bed before I can even process what is happening. He wants me back! I run out of the front door and see Gale standing by his car. I step out onto the front porch and I'm about to run down the stairs when something hard and then gooey hits my ear. I reach my hand up to me ear to see what it was. Egg. I look up at Gale and he has a carton of eggs, and he's flinging each one at me. I do what I can to protect myself and I cover up my face. After the last eggs have been thrown they drive off and I trudge back into the house and up the stairs, silent tears streaming down my face. I'm in and out of the shower in no time, intent on just getting into bed and sleeping. I lie down and my phone lights up with another text. It's from Gale again. I contemplate looking at it, and my curiosity wins.

_Just kidding. Whore._

I realize that Prim isn't here anymore and that she must have left whilst I was outside being egged by my ex.

I walk into school the next day with my head held high. I'm going to make Gale regret what he did. I walk past him and his large group of friends and I can hear catcalls and people yelling out, "Hey, can anyone else smell egg?" But I ignore it and keep my temper, walking into school and waiting for Madge by the fountain. I spot her out of the corner of my eye and I wave. She waves back and makes her way towards me. She sits next to me and we talk for a couple of minutes. I'm happy that she doesn't think of me any differently because I'm pregnant and she hasn't brought it up in the conversation at all. It's so quick that we don't know where the attack comes from, but one minute we're dry, and the next we've been drenched in a cold, sticky liquid.

**Thanks for reading this chapter and next chapter will be up soon. So be a nice person and leave me a review? Thanks :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here is Chapter 3 for you! Sorry it took longer than usual, but it's extra long! So enjoy and review?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games. Just so you know.**

Madge and I jump up and she squeals, complaining about how long it took her to do her hair that morning. I couldn't care less, and I'm more focused on trying to find the person who just dumped their drink on our heads. There's the usual list of suspects – Glimmer, Enobaria, Marvel, so on and so forth. I don't want to add Gale to that list, but considering all of the things that he's done lately, it's pretty likely that he might have been behind it. Madge grabs my hand and drags me into the nearest bathroom and cleans us up. After a while we start to laugh at how cliché it is that we got a slushy thrown at our face.  
"Are you okay, though, Katty?" she asks sincerely. I nod and look down at my shoes.  
"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll be okay," I mutter. There's a silence, but not one of those awkward silences. The silence when there is just nothing left to say.  
"We should probably get to English unless we want Mr Heavensbee to give us _another_ detention," Madge comments. We walk into the classroom just before Mr Heavensbee and run to the back of the room. Mr Heavensbee starts explaining the difference between similes and metaphors while I daydream. I absentmindedly stroke my stomach. When Mr Heavenbee has his back turned to us, Madge hands me a note. I open it discreetly and read it.

_Stop touching your stomach. People may catch on._

I look to her and mumble a thanks, removing my hand from my stomach. I just draw little pictures on my notebook and wait for class to end.

Madge and I walk out of the classroom. Madge makes her way to French class and I trudge to Biology. I stop at the vending machine and buy a packet of Maltesers, popping one in my mouth and savouring the taste of chocolate. I'm about to pop another one in my mouth when Gale turns around the corner. Our eyes lock for a second and he walks towards me, only to knock the Maltesers out of my hand. Little balls of chocolate scatter around the floor.  
"Don't want to get fat, Catnip," Gale spits. He didn't use my pet-name in an affectionate way. His voice is filled with venom, poison in every syllable. I'm standing there shocked, and I barely even notice the bell for second period. I walk quickly to Biology and my eyes scan the room for my biology partner. I find Peeta with his head down, drawing on his book. Mr Flickerman isn't here yet. I take my seat next to Peeta, but he doesn't seem to notice. All of his attention is focused on his drawing. It's a small fluffy penguin on a lone iceberg, watching the other penguins swim around.  
"It's pretty," I say. He jumps and quickly snaps his notebook shut, his eyes darting upwards to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Hi."  
"Hello," he replies, his baby blue eyes staring at me. I look down at the desk and he sets out his chemistry book. Mr Flickerman walks in and he's whistling.  
"Morning, class. Wonderful day out today!" he exclaims. Mr Flickerman couldn't be any more wrong. It's dreary and cold. But Mr Flickerman always likes to put a positive spin on things. He starts explaining our experiment, how this connects to that and then you twist that and fire comes out there. The class is bustling around as one person from each table collects the equipment needed for today's experiment. Peeta attaches the gas to the Bunsen burner and then hands me the match to light. I light it and hold it over the burner while Peeta turns on the gas. A stream of fire erupts from the burner, causing both of us to jump back in surprise. I write down my notes and draw my observations. After a while I smell something burning, and before I can figure out what it is, I hear Peeta yelling, "Katniss! Your hair is on fire!" I scream and both me and Peeta are batting my hair, trying to put out the fire. We eventually get it out and then there's silence. Somebody at the front chuckles and then I'm laughing as well. Everybody in the class is laughing now, even Mr Flickerman.  
"Miss Everdeen, we should start calling you the Girl on Fire," he chuckles. After the laughter quietens down, Peeta and I get back to work. About five minutes before the bell rings Mr Flickerman is telling everybody to pack up. The bell goes just as I'm flinging my matches back into their box. I race out of the classroom and make my way to the cafeteria. I wait in line, order my lunch and search the room for Madge. I see her sitting at a large round table with a small brunette girl. I make my way over to her and tap her on the shoulder. She turns around to face me.  
"Hey Katty! This is Annie," she says, pointing to the girl next to her. Annie waves and holds her hand out to me. I shake it and introduce myself.  
"Sit down, Katniss," Madge says, gesturing to the empty seat next to her. I hesitate for a second and then sit down. I talk with Madge until other people start sitting at the table. I'm feeling uncomfortable and I'm trying to get Madge's attention so that we can go to another table. A tanned boy kisses Annie and sits next to her, their hands intertwined. He looks up and notices me.  
"Ooh, who's this?" he asks, a small smile etched into his features. Everybody turns to me and I look down and I can feel myself redden.  
"Oh, these are my friends Madge and Katniss," Annie says, everybody turning their attention to Madge.  
"Yay! More friends for Finny!" the boy sitting next to Annie says.  
"I'm Thresh," a dark-skinned boy says, holding his hand out for us to shake. We both shake it and then he goes quiet again.  
"I'm Johanna," a girl with short brown hair says. "And this imbecile over here is Finnick."  
"Pfft, you wish you had my brains, Mason," Finnick retorts.  
"No thanks, having the mind of a four year old doesn't really appeal to me," Johanna drawls, a smirk etched onto her face.  
"I'm actually incredibly mature," he says, poking his tongue out at her and taking a sip of his juice box. "And don't let that undermine what I just said." It's surprisingly easy to talk to these people. After a while a seventh person joins the table.  
"Sorry I'm late. I had to pull somebody's hair out of a burner," a familiar voice says. I look up to see Peeta laying his sandwich on the table. He looks around the table and notices me, a small smile making its way onto his face.  
"Oh, it's the Girl on Fire," he says, his lopsided smile growing as I cringe and give him an apologetic look. Everyone gives us a questioning look, their eyes flicking between us.  
"Wait – what?" Finnick says, his mouth half full of chicken. I redden in embarrassment and Peeta starts explaining.  
"Well, you see, Katniss and I are partners in Biology, and today we had to-"  
"KATNISS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?!" Madge shrieks, cutting through Peeta's explanation. Peeta and I exchange a look and then dissolve into laughter. After we get our laughter under control, I try to explain.  
"Okay, so we're partners in Biology, and today we had to use these weird burner things. And, basically, I was just writing down my observations, getting on with my work, and then my hair kind of just… caught on fire," I explain nonchalantly. There's a couple of seconds of silence, then Thresh bursts out laughing. His laugh is not how I expected it to be. I expected it to be loud and booming. His laugh is kind of… _tiny._ Very quiet and crackly. It shocks me for a second, but before I know it, the entire table has joined in his laughter. The laughter stops when my stomach churns and I leap up from the table, my hand clamped tightly over my mouth. I make it into an empty toilet and empty the contents of my stomach into it, grabbing the side of the toilet for support. Once I'm sure I'm finished, I flush the toilet and make my way to the sink, rinsing out my mouth and then washing my hands. I walk out of the bathroom and I'm met with the sight of Madge making her way towards me, her blonde corkscrew curls bouncing as she walks.  
"You okay?" she asks, grabbing my arm and leading me back to the table.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just gonna go sit in the library," I say, grabbing my bag from the table and waving goodbye.  
"I'll come," Madge says, slinging her bag over her shoulder. I frantically shake my head.  
"No, no. It's okay," I reassure her. She hesitates and then nods, setting her bag back down and sitting next to Annie again. As I walk out I can hear Peeta say, "Is she okay?" I hear Madge reply, but I don't catch exactly what she says.

I'm not in the library. I'm not even at school right now. I'm just pulling into my driveway when I get a text. I open it and read it. It's from Madge.

_Where are you? Are you okay? _

I unlock my phone and send her a text back.

_I'm fine. Just felt like getting out of there._

I unlock the door and rush into the house. I walk into the kitchen, grabbing a plate and fork from the cabinet and setting them out on the kitchen counter. I reach into the fridge and pull out some pasta salad. I dish some out and I'm practically salivating as I put it back in the fridge. As I'm closing the fridge door, something shiny and blue catches my eye. I move all of the food that's blocking the blue thing and my heart drops. If I wasn't paying attention, I'd think they were just some of Prim's sports drinks. But I am paying attention, and it's not hard to miss the words '_Blueberry and Vodka'_ when you're examining the cans. I don't drink, and Prim's thirteen, so nobody is going to sell to her. So that leaves Mum as the only suspect. I can't deal with this right now, so I just slam the fridge and trudge upstairs. I'm about to close my bedroom door when a strange noise catches my attention. It's coming from Mum's room. Buttercup probably got himself locked in there again. I open the door to let him out and I'm met with a horrible sight. Mum and Haymitch are wrapped around each other in a very… intimate way. I don't wait to see if Mum notices me. I walk down the stairs and run into the garden, past our fence and all the way into the woods. I retrieve my bow and arrows from a hollow log. Before my father died, we carved some targets into a tree for me to practice on. He taught me how to shoot when I was seven. I shoot arrow after arrow, hitting bullseye nearly every time. After a few hours, my phone rings. I check the time before answering it. It's four o'clock. I answer it and put the phone to my ear. Prim's voice rings out of the receiver.  
"Katniss, where are you? I've been waiting for forty-five minutes," she asks. Realization dawns upon me and I smack my palm onto my forehead.  
"Shit!" I curse loudly. "I'm so sorry! I just got really caught up! I'll be there soon!"  
"No, it's okay. Rue's mum is coming to get me," she reassures me. We talk for a bit and then hang up the phone. I pack up my bow and arrows, stuff them into the log and start my trek back through the woods. It doesn't take that long, but when you're hungry and tired, it feels like hours. I walk in the back door a few seconds before Prim walks in the front. I rush up to her and hug her.  
"I'm so sorry that I forgot you!" I say quickly. "I promise I will never forget you again!"  
"Relax, Katniss! It's fine!" Prim laughs, hugging me back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have homework." She runs up the stairs and into her room. I walk into the kitchen to see Mum standing over the stove, stirring some pasta. My mouth waters at the smell of it.  
"Hey Mum," I say, walking up behind her and stirring the pesto sauce. She looks over at me and smiles.  
"Hi," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "How was your day?"  
"It was okay. I set fire to my hair in Biology," I say nonchalantly.  
"Oh, was that why your car was parked outside earlier?" she asks. "So you could fix up your hair?"  
The question startles me for a second, but I answer it, nonetheless.  
"No, I just didn't have a very good day," I explain with what I hope passed off as a laugh.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks me quietly, a look of concern etched on her face. I consider it for a second. She is a healer, and she would be able to help me with my pregnancy. But I decide against it. I can't tell her just yet.  
"No," I say quietly. "No, I don't." She shrugs and assures me that she's there if I want to talk and that dinner is almost ready. "I'll go fetch Prim." I run up the stairs and walk into her bedroom. She's sitting on the bed, staring at something in her hand.  
"W-what's this?" she asks shakily, holding something up in the air. As my eyes adjust to the light in her room, I notice what she's holding and I freeze. In her hands, she holds my positive pregnancy test.

**DUN DUN DUN! Cliffhanger! Thanks for reading, and if you're feeling extra nice, review? Next chapter up very, very soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! An update and an extra-long chapter! I don't even know where this chapter came from, I had a whole idea for the chapter planned out and then this just kind of... happened. Anyway, enjoy!**

I just stand there, gaping like an idiot.  
"W-what? Where d-did you find that?" I stutter, trying to think of some excuse as to why there is a positive pregnancy test in my little sister's hands.  
"In your room. I was looking for a pencil and I knocked all of your pens in your bin," Prim says, looking up at me. I walk over to her and take the test out of her hands.  
"W-well, what makes you so sure it's mine?" I mutter quietly, my head dropping down to observe my shoes.  
"Katniss," she says, grabbing my hand. "Are you… pregnant?" I open my mouth to explain, but I just burst into tears. Prim pulls me into a hug. "Oh, God."  
"I'm s-so sorry I didn't tell you sooner," I sob. She hugs me tighter and whispers into my ear.  
"It's going to be okay, Katty. I promise." There's a silence filled with only the occasional whimper from me and reassuring whispers from Prim. "It's Gale's, isn't it?" she asks. All I can do is nod and whimper in response. "Does he know?" I nod again.  
"B-but he says it's not his. He th-thinks I cheated on him and now he hates me," I whisper, my sobs slowly dying down to the occasional whimper.  
"Oh, Katniss," Prim sighs. After a while Prim's stomach rumbles. I smile and laugh lightly.  
"Hungry?" I ask.  
"Starving."  
"Well, come on then. Dinner is ready," I say, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her out of the room.  
"Wait," Prim says, stopping abruptly. "Does Mum know yet?" I shake my head.  
"No. So I'd appreciate if you didn't tell her." Prim nods and we walk downstairs to find three steaming bowls of pasta and Mum sitting there on the phone.  
"Okay. I'll be there soon," she says into the phone. After a few more words are exchanged she hangs up and grabs her keys off the table. "Got to go to work. I'll be home in a few hours." We kiss her goodbye and she leaves. Prim starts eating but I don't think I can bring myself to pick up my fork.  
"Katniss, you need to eat," she says, picking up my fork and shoving it into my hand. I stab my fork into the pasta and take a bite. Before I can even stop myself, I've eaten a bowl and I'm scooping myself some more. I look over to Prim as I'm shovelling more into my mouth. She's smiling and looking down at her phone, her fingers movie swiftly across the screen as she texts.  
"Who are you texting?" I ask her. She looks up at me and mumbles something about her boyfriend. I smile and push my bowl away, getting up and putting our empty bowls in the dishwasher and wetting a cloth to wipe the surfaces down with. Once all of the kitchen chores are done, I drag myself upstairs and into the shower, taking extra time to wash my hair and get rid of the sticky substance left over from my little slushy shower earlier. I step out of the shower and reach over to grab my towel, but something stops me. I look to the side and see myself in the mirror. I standing sideways and make my back straight, peering into the mirror and observing my stomach. Covered in clothes, my stomach looks normal. But, standing here, naked and about two-months along, I can just make out a small curve on my abdomen. I place my hand on my stomach and stroke it, my eyes widening at the realization that a piece of Gale is growing inside of me. But the real Gale wants to have nothing to do with me. I need to get him back. And I think I know just how I can.

I walk through the front gate, my arms wrapped around myself protectively. _Maybe I shouldn't have done this,_ I think._ No. I have to. Gale will definitely notice me in this outfit._ But despite the fact that this outfit will get Gale's attention, it's also getting the attention of a few other boys, and I can hear wolf-whistles as I trudge up the stairs. I can feel eyes staring at my ass, and I'm starting to think that skinny jeans weren't exactly the best thing to wear. I probably should've brought a jumper or something as well, because the only thing this top covers is my stomach, my shoulders and most of my cleavage. It's also much too tight to be comfortable. I walk up to Madge and her eyes widen once she takes in my appearance.  
"Are you wearing…_ make-up?!_" she asks, a small smile making its way onto her perfectly powdered face.  
"Just lip gloss," I mumble. Madge laughs quietly. Not a rude or mean laugh, but an understanding and friendly laugh.  
"What are you wearing, Katty?" she says. I look up at her and she seems to notice how uncomfortable I feel. "What's this all about?" I look down at my shoes as if they're the most interesting thing I've ever seen.  
"I'm doing it to get Gale back," I mutter and Madge laughs again.  
"Well, good luck," she says, pulling me into a hug. I hug her back and bid her goodbye as the bell rings, trudging off to my class. Incidentally, I have Social Studies with Gale. _Prepare to love me, Gale._

By the time the bell goes for lunch, I'm starving. I'd done everything I could think of to make Gale want me. I've ignored all of his paper balls hitting the back of my head and instead throwing them back straight at him. Playing hard-to-get is easier than I thought it would be. I rush to the cafeteria and grab a tray, loading it with food and scanning the cafeteria for a sign of Madge. She hasn't shown up yet, so I set my stuff down on empty table. Just as I'm sitting down, I hear somebody call my name. I look over to see Finnick and Annie gesturing for me to join them. I grab my stuff and make my way over to their table.  
"Hi," I say as I sit down. I immediately start eating my sandwich and I barely even notice more people sliding into seats around the table. I look up from my sandwich to see Johanna and Thresh sitting down across from me. Johanna mumbles a greeting and Thresh just flashes me a smile. Madge joins us a few minutes later and sits next to me. There's someone missing from this lunch table, but I can't figure out who. My eyes scan the room and I spot a flash of blonde hair. _Peeta,_ I think. He spots us and walks towards the table, taking the only available chair – the one next to me. He smiles at me and I smile back.  
"So, are you okay?" he asks me after he's set out his lunch.  
"What do you mean?" I say, a little confused.  
"You were sick yesterday. Are you feeling better?" he says. Oh, right. He's talking about my little lunch incident.  
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. My little sister was sick and I must've gotten something from her," I lie. "But I'm all good now." He nods and turns away from me to talk to Thresh.  
"Hey, Girl on Fire?" I look up to see Finnick looking at me. "What's with the get-up?" I think of a million excuses and settle on the 'haven't-done-any-laundry' excuse. He nods but gives me a questioning look. I shift my gaze down to my juice and stab the straw into the top. I take a sip and the sweet juice floods my tongue, reminding me of the fact that this is the only thing I've had to drink since breakfast. I get up to throw my rubbish away and buy another bottle of water for class. As I'm paying for my water, I feel a pair of eyes on me. I flick my head around and see Peeta quickly averting his gaze to the ceiling fan. A small smile crosses my lips. Despite how uncomfortable it made me feel when others did it, I don't really mind Peeta staring at my ass.

I'm walking on the sports field when I hear it. Somebody says my name. I look around and spot Gale standing behind one of the old buildings. I'm not sure why they're still here, seeing as they're only used once in a blue moon. He's waving me over to him. My heart soars. Does this mean he wants me back? It takes all of my effort to stop from running up to him, and I instead approach him with a steady walk, keeping my head held high. By the time I reach him he's impatiently tugging on his jacket sleeve. I open my mouth to speak, but before I can utter a single word, his mouth is on mine. _Yes_, I think. _It does mean he wants me back!_ I smirk and kiss him back, our tongues battling against each other. We eventually break away for air. His eyes scan my body.  
"You look nice," he says before he kisses me again. _Knew this outfit would work!_ "Close your eyes." At first I don't know if I should, but curiosity gets the better of me and I clamp my eyes shut, eager to know what's going to happen. He grabs my hand and he's pulling me somewhere. I eventually hear leaves rustling underfoot and I know that he's taken me into the woods behind the school. He pushes me up against a tree and he's kissing me passionately again. He slowly starts unbuttoning my shirt. _I don't want this yet._ I try to push him away. He won't get off of me so I break the kiss and turn my head to the side. He's still working on my buttons.  
"Gale," I say. He doesn't look up from what he's doing. "Gale!" I say it more firmly this time. He looks up, his hands stopping. He moves down to my jeans. "No, Gale. Stop."  
"Come on, Catnip," he says with a small smirk. "It'll be fun."  
"No, Gale. I don't want to." His face turns a strange shade of red and then he starts yelling.  
"Come on! You already put out once! Can't you do it again?" he spits out, ripping at my buttons aggressively.  
"No! Gale, stop!" I say, attempting to push him off of me. "I'm not just a sex toy!"  
"Katniss! That's all any girl is. And you are mine," he says, his eyes darkening. I'm starting to hyperventilate now, tears filling my eyes as he bites at my neck, slowly inching my jeans down. I squirm and try to get under him somehow, but it's no use. So I just stand there, pushed against the tree, and wait for it to end.

My back is bruised and battered as I make my way to collect Prim. I make sure that my buttons are all done up before I walk out of the bushes. I see Prim standing at the gates, talking to Rory. It makes me feel uneasy that Prim is dating the brother of Gale. The hatred I feel for Gale right now is large. I feel… dirty. And used. And it doesn't make me feel good. Prim kisses Rory and then makes her way over to my car. I walk to the car and unlock it.  
"Hello, little duck," I say as I get into the car.  
"Hello. Glad you didn't forget me today," she says with a small smile.  
"Ugh! I've apologized a million times!" I exaggerate as we pull out of the parking lot. "So how was your day?"  
"Meh. It's been good. Rue invited me to her house for her birthday sleepover. So how about y-" she stops midsentence as her eyes trail over to me. "What's that on your neck?" she asks cautiously. My hand flies up to my neck.  
"What?" I look into the car mirror . There's a small bruise from Gale's hand pushing me against the tree. "Oh." I try to think of an excuse. "That's nothing. Don't worry about it."  
"Katniss," Prim says steadily. "What is that? Where did you get it?"  
"I, uh, don't actually know. I must have been stung by something today." I wave it off and try to change the subject. "So, when's Rue's birthday?" This stops Prim from asking any more questions and she starts to tell me about it.  
"So can I go?" she asks me. "Please?" I laugh.  
"You'll have to ask Mum, little duck," I say, smiling at her and turning down our street. Prim's stomach rumbles just as we're pulling into our driveway.  
"God, I'm starving!" she moans as she's undoing her seatbelt.  
"You know where the kitchen is," I say, locking the car and walking towards the front step. I unlock the door and Prim immediately scampers off to her room. I set my bag down by the door and walk through to the kitchen, grabbing an apple juice from the fridge and sitting down at the table. My hand rests itself on my stomach and slowly rubs soothing circles. There's a knock at the door and I answer it to find Madge.  
"Hi, Madge," I say, letting her in. She walks in and greets me, giving me a hug and taking her blue shoes off at the door.  
"Do you wanna go shopping?" she asks me. I'm startled by the question, because Madge usually hates shopping, but I nod and grab my purse and jacket.

"What about this?" Madge says, holding out a small pink dress with no sleeves.  
"Well, when's the wedding? Because if it's soon, I don't think a little dress would be very good mid-winter," I explain. Madge's aunt Maysilee is getting married soon and Madge is one of the bridesmaids, and her aunt asked her to get some ideas for the dresses.  
"Yeah, I guess. You're invited, by the way," Madge says as she rifles through the dress rack again. After a few more dresses, she sighs and sits next to me. "Wanna go get a smoothie?"  
"Yup." Madge and I make our way to the smoothie bar and I grab a table while Madge orders. She gets her usual banana berry mix and I get plain old mango. Madge sits down with our drinks and we sit there and drink in silence. The silence is broken once we hear someone call our names. I whip my head around to find Peeta, Johanna and Thresh making their way towards our table. Madge smiles and waves at them and I give them a small nod of acknowledgement. Johanna slides next to me while Peeta and Thresh order their drinks. I finish my smoothie as Peeta and Thresh sit down and I get up to put my cup in the bin. As I'm closing the bin, something catches my eye. I look up and find myself staring at my mother walking hand-in-hand with Haymitch. I smirk and I actually feel really happy for Mum. She hasn't dated anybody since my dad died, and I like Haymitch. I walk back to the table with a smile on my face and I sit down next to Johanna. My phone rings and I look down to see Prim's face flashing on the screen. I answer and put the phone up to my ear.  
"Hello?" I say. Prim's voice rings through the receiver.  
"Katniss! Katniss, I think I'm dying!" she says, her voice high and panicky.  
"Wait, what?" I say, instantly alarmed. I'm gathering my stuff into my bag when she answers.  
"There's blood. In my pants. It's everywhere!" she says. I laugh as I realise what she's talking about.  
"Oh, little duck! It's okay. I'll be home soon, okay?" I say. She makes a weird choked-up noise and then hangs up.  
"Is Prim alright?" Madge asks as I put the phone back in my bag.  
"Yeah, she is. I gotta go," I say. Madge nods and slurps up her smoothie. I start to walk away.  
"Wait, Katty. I'm your ride home, remember?" she says. I nod and wait for her. Peeta speaks up.  
"I can drive you home," he says, grabbing his keys. "I have to go to the bakery anyway."  
"Are you sure? I can catch a bus or something," I say, but Peeta just shakes his head and gets up.  
"No, it's okay. It's my shift soon," Peeta explains as he finishes his smoothie.  
"But you don't have a –" Thresh begins, but there's a loud thud from under the table and he stops talking, and instead scowls at Johanna. Peeta's face is going a strange red. I wait for him and we walk through the shopping centre. As we're walking I spot Gale with Glimmer, practically eating each other's face. Images of the woods behind the school flash through my mind, and I can feel the blood drain from my face. The next thing I now, my eyes have rolled to the back of my head and I've collapsed in a cold, dead faint.

**So, next chapter up soon and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you're feeling particularly nice, leave me a review? Pretty please with Peeta on top? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to be posted! I just have this horrible thing called school, and I've been working on my other fanfiction (which will be up soon!) and I kind of forgot about this one. So, yeah. Anyway, here is chapter five!**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. Just in case you were wondering.

"Maybe we should pour water on her?" I hear a voice say, slowly pulling me out of my state of unconsciousness. I slowly open my eyes and I can make out the blurry figure of my sister. As my eyes focus I realize where I am. And that she's not alone. Once my eyes adjust to the bright light of my bedroom, I can make out about three other people with her.

"Nope, looks like she's fine," comes a voice come from my left. I turn my head to see Johanna standing over me with a small smirk on her face. "Hello there, Sleeping Beauty," she says, her smirk widening when the only thing I do is scowl.  
"Wait, what happened?" I ask, sitting up slowly and stretching my arms. My head is hurting a bit, but I pay no attention to it. I hear a chuckle, look away from Johanna and find myself staring into big blue eyes.  
"Well," Peeta says, a small smile creeping its way onto his face. "You fainted."  
"I know that much already, Mellark," I snap. Peeta just keeps smiling. "But how did I get home?"  
"Incredible Hulk over here –" Johanna starts, pointing her finger at Peeta. "- decided it would be a smart idea to carry you home. He seemed to have forgotten that he, in fact, had a car. On the way, however, he forgot where you lived and carried you into some poor old lady's house. Long story short, her ran about three blocks trying to outrun about three rabid pitbulls – holding you, nonetheless – until Madge and I drove by and found you. I mean, what kind of old lady has pitbulls? It makes no sense."  
"Maybe for security reasons?" Madge says, popping her head out from behind my bathroom door.  
"Oh, God. Did that actually happen?" I say. He nods and I cringe, giving him an apologetic smile.  
"He's quite a fast runner, though," Madge says. I turn to look at her and see she's holding a bowl of water. "So we don't need this water?" Prim shakes her head and Madge shrugs, walking into my bathroom and pouring it into the sink. Prim grabs Buttercup from the end of my bed and walks out the door. I hear a tap running somewhere downstairs and despite our differences, I feel sorry for that cat right now.  
"Well, anyway, I better get going," Peeta says. We bid him goodbye and he leaves, followed shortly by Johanna. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and place my feet on the floor, not wanting to get up too quickly. I walk downstairs and find Prim standing over the sink, bathing a very soapy and very unhappy Buttercup.  
"Prim, what are you doing to him?" I say with a laugh, leaning against the doorframe. She looks up from Buttercup's howling figure and smiles.  
"He was getting dirty, and I didn't want him to have to lick all of the mud off of his pretty coat," she explains with a shrug. I don't see how anybody could call Buttercup's coat 'pretty', because it is far from it, but Prim has always been the one to put a positive spin on things. The room is silent except for Buttercup's screeches. After about five minutes Prim is the one to break the silence.  
"When are you going to tell Mum?" Prim says. The truth is, I don't know when I'm going to tell Mum.  
"I don't know," I reply simply, grabbing an apple and taking a bite out of it.  
"You really need to tell her soon. She'll be pissed if she finds out you kept it from her for so long," she says with a pointed look. I know that Prim is right, but Mum will be pissed either way. I consider my options. If I tell Mum, she'll be able to help me figure out what I'm going to do. If I don't tell her, she'll probably find out on her own, anyway. After a battle in my head about what to do, I settle on an option.  
"Tonight," I say after a long silence. "I'll tell her tonight." Prim nods and wraps a soaking wet Buttercup in a towel. Despite being dunked in water, he automatically burrows up in Prim's arms, purring when she rubs his nose. I wouldn't be good at bathing a cat. Too much water and fur everywhere. God, Prim has better maternal instincts than me and she's only thirteen! I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when the baby comes. If I'm going to keep it or give it up. This choice would be so much easier to make if I had someone with me. Like Gale. But then I realise that Gale wants nothing to do with me, and after what happened today, I don't think I want much association with him either. I look at the clock hanging over the counter. It's only six thirty, but I'm so tired. I say goodnight to Prim and get up from the table.  
"Wait, why are you going to bed? You need to eat," Prim says, pointing to the fridge.  
"I'm not really that hungry. I just want to sleep," I say, already walking out of the kitchen. Prim's next words, however, stop me.  
"Katniss. You need to eat properly. If not for you, for him," she reasons, waving her hand to my midsection. She does have a point. I place my hand on my stomach and nod, walking back into the kitchen.  
"What makes you so sure it's a 'him'?" I ask Prim as she opens the pantry and rummages through it, looking for some kind of easy meal.  
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Prim says, eyeing me as if I were an idiot. I shake my head.  
"No, not really. Do tell me how to figure out the gender of the sea monkey growing inside my uterus," I say sarcastically.  
"What have your cravings been?" she asks me, giving up on the cupboard and moving onto the fridge. I think for a second. I haven't really had any. Except chocolate.  
"Chocolate," I say. Prim smirks.  
"I noticed. By the way, the white chocolate is mine," Prim says, pulling an almost empty chocolate wrapper out of the fridge. I cringe. I remember shoving most of that chocolate down my throat the other night.  
"Sorry. I'll replace it," I say. Prim waves her hand.  
"Don't worry about it. Haymitch will get me some more." I nod, and then her last words hit me.  
"Wait, Haymitch?" I say. She looks at me and nods.  
"Yeah, he always gets me stuff. You know, I reckon he and mum have a thing," Prim says, her voice rising higher into an excited squeal. "Maybe they'll get married! And then they'll have a cute little baby and –"  
"Prim!" I say, effectively cutting off her speech. "I know. Just calm down." Prim takes a deep breath and then shuts the fridge, sitting next to me at the table. "I saw them shopping together today," I tell her.  
"Were they, like, _together?_" Prim asks me, her eyes widening.  
"Well, they were holding hands, but that's all I saw," I say. Prim nods.  
"I think they're good together. And mum is really happy," Prim says with a smile.  
"I know," I agree. But all of this happy couple talk is starting to get me down. "So, what food do we have?" I ask Prim. Prim shakes her head.  
"Mum was meant to go shopping this week but she hasn't gotten around to it. And her shift ends at quarter to eight, so I doubt she'll be shopping today," Prim says with a sigh.  
"Hmm. Looks like a pizza night!" I say. Prim perks up and grabs the phone. She orders the pizza. She always orders the pizza. I'm not good when it comes to talking to people I don't know. Except this week I made four new friends from doing it, so I'm not_ that_ bad at it. The pizza arrives and we indulge in it. Once we've picked the pizza box clean of any crumbs, I say goodnight to Prim and walk up to my bathroom. I undress and stand sideways, looking at my slowly forming baby bump. Without thinking I place my hand on my abdomen, stroking it. I spend five minutes or so just staring at it. Soon, everybody will be able to see it. Soon, I'll be a mother. A single teenage mother. I get in the shower and turn the water on. And for a few minutes I just stand there, letting everything sink in. By the time I turn seventeen I'll be about four months along. And by that time, I'll definitely need a doctor. And I need to tell Mum. And _that_ is going to be hard.

I braid my hair for about the fourth time that night. Although I'm wrapped up in my blanket, I'm still shaking. Probably just nerves. I hear the front door open and I jump off of the couch, walking into the hallway with my fleece blanket wrapped around my shoulders.  
"Hi, Katniss," says Mum.  
"Hi." I kiss her on the cheek and grab her hand, pulling her into the lounge room and sitting on the couch."How was your day?" I say, hoping my voice isn't shaking as much as I think it is.  
"It was fine. Boring, mostly. What about you? Do anything fun?" she asks me, taking off her jacket and placing it on the lamp table.  
"I just went shopping with Madge. Nothing fun," I say, my hands tightening around the corner of the blanket.  
"Are you okay? You look a little pale," Mum says, pressing her hand up to my forehead.  
"I'm fine. I just…" I really don't know the best way to go about this. So I'll just go for it. "I need to tell you something. And you have to promise you won't get angry. Well, you can be angry, but please don't hate me." Mum nods and grabs my hands.  
"What is it, sweetie?" she asks, my hands tightening around hers.  
"You know Gale, right?" I ask. She nods as if encouraging me to go on further. "Well, we kind of broke up. It's a long story and I'll tell you once you know what I really need to tell you." I'm fumbling around in my brain, trying to find something, anything, that can put off me having to tell her for just a bit longer. But I know I must tell her. "Anyway, we were dating for a while. And a few months ago we, well, uh…" I fumble my hands around, praying that my mother will get what I'm talking about without me having to explain it. And I can tell by the look on her face she knows what I'm talking about. "And, um… Happy Grandmother's Day?" _Happy Grandmother's Day?! Honestly, Katniss. _"What I mean is… I'm going to be a mum," I say, avoiding her gaze and hoping she isn't too ashamed of me. I expect a smack on the back of my head or something of that nature. But instead, I feel her arms wrapping around me and pulling me into a hug.  
"I know," she says. I pull away from her.  
'Wait, what? What do you mean _you know_?" I ask, wondering who could've told her. I bet it was Prim. That little brat.  
"I've known for a while, Katniss. I mean, you're speaking to a mother and a nurse. I can put two and two together," she says.  
"A-are you angry at me?" I ask her, bewildered at how she could have possibly found out.  
"I'm angry that you didn't tell me sooner," Mum tells me, and I actually feel ashamed that she wasn't the first to know. "But, I'm not angry at _you_. Now, tell me. Why did you and Gale call it off?" And so I tell her. I tell her and she holds me as I cry. Once I finish telling her, she kisses my head and whispers soothing words to me, holding me close.

I don't remember falling asleep last night, but I wake up to somebody shaking me. I slowly open my eyes and take in my surroundings. Mum's jacket still sits on the lamp table and I'm still wrapped up in my blanket. Mum is standing above me.  
"Katniss. Wake up, you have school soon," she says, shaking me softly. I begrudgingly get up and trudge upstairs, grabbing the first pair of pants I can find and ripping off my pyjamas. I step into the pants and try to zip them up. The zip stops about halfway.  
"Where are the jeans I was wearing yesterday?" I ask myself. I search the room for the outfit I was wearing yesterday. I eventually find them in a pile on the floor and pull them on. They're a bit tight, not only on my stomach but everywhere else. _Wait a second. My stomach! Shit!_ I grab the shirt I was wearing yesterday and pull it on, standing on my side and examining the bump. _Could anybody see it?_ I can just make out a small bump, as if I just had a big lunch or something. You couldn't see it unless you were paying really good attention to it. But then again, there were tonnes of people staring at me yesterday in my tight get-up. _But they were paying attention to your ass, Katniss._ I'm dragged out of my thoughts when I hear my door clicking open. I turn to see my mother standing at the door with the phone by her ear.  
"Are you free next Wednesday?" she asks me. I nod and ask her why. She just shakes me off and tell the person on the other line that Wednesday is fine. I pull on a baggy shirt and some loose fitting pants and walk downstairs.  
"Mum, what was that about?" I ask. She looks up from the paper she's writing on.  
"Oh, you have an appointment with my friend Dr Pannum. He's an obstetrician. Next Wednesday at four o'clock," she tells me, handing me a slip of paper with the information on. I take the piece of paper and envelope my mother in a hug.  
"Thank you," I whisper. "For helping me." She hugs me back, and for the first time since the test came out positive, I don't feel so alone.

**Phew! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter** **and I promise that the next chapter will be up much sooner (just don't hold me to that, because my internet has been a bit weird lately.) So, how about a review? Eh? You know you want to. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow. Hey guys. I am so so so sorry that I havn't updated in ages! I've just been busy with school and stuff, plus I've been working on my other story at the same time. I should upload the next chapter to that one soon if you guys wanna check it out. But I'm on holiday now, so I have some more time to write. I do fully intend to finish this story, and I have the entire story line planned out. The only thing I need to do is get it into words. So, yeah. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and my sister found my fanfiction, so if you're reading this Jizzy, go away. **

I flick through the trashy tabloids while I'm waiting for Dr Pannum to call me into his office. My hands are shaking and I really just want a milkshake. My mother grabs my left hand in an attempt to steady it. She picks up a parenting magazine from the small table beside her and shoves it into my hand, taking away the gossip magazine.  
"Have you done any thinking?" she asks me. "About the baby?" She points towards my stomach and I find myself shaking my head.  
"I'm not going to abort it or something, but I don't know what I'm going to do when he's born," I say, rubbing small circles on my stomach.  
"He? What makes you so sure it's a boy?" she asks me, a small hint of a smile playing at her features.  
"Well, Prim reckons it's a boy. I don't know why, but I guess she knows more than me at the moment," I say with a shrug of my shoulders. Mum nods and opens her mouth to speak, but a voice from across the room stops us.  
"Katniss Everdeen?" says an old woman sitting behind a desk. "Dr Pannum will see you now." My mother and I put down our magazines and make our way into a light blue office. A dark skinned man is standing by the door. He smiles at me.  
"Hello. I'm Dr Pannum. But, please, call me Cinna," he says, holding his hand out for me to shake. I shake it and introduce myself. "Well, let's take a look, shall we?" I nod and he leads me to a chair with a large machine next to it. "I assume you're familiar with an ultrasound machine?" he asks me. I nod and he directs me to sit down and pull my shirt up a few inches, revealing my abdomen. He pulls on a pair of gloves and a little clear tube of a green, gel-like substance. He squeezes it onto my stomach and I flinch.  
"Cold," I mumble. My mother grabs hold of my hand as she takes the seat next to me. Cinna moves a little object the size of a deodorant stick, which he tells me is called a transducer, around my abdomen and within seconds a strong beating sound fills the room.  
"You hear that?" Cinna asks with a hint of a smile. I nod.  
"Is that –"  
"Your baby's heartbeat? Yes. It is," he says. "And you see that?" He points to a small shape on the bean, about the size of a kidney bean. I nod again.  
"That's my kid?" I ask, my eyes slightly watering. I look over to my mother and see that she has tears threatening to spill over her lashes. Cinna nods.  
"Do you want a photo?" he asks me.  
"Yes. Definitely," my mother answers for me. Cinna smiles and presses a button. "I'll just go collect those from the printer for you." He calls in his assistant to help me clean up and exits the room. A young woman who appears to be in her twenties walks into the room. She has quite bright hair, but I think that it suits her.  
"Hello. I'm Octavia. I'll just help you clean up," she says, pulling some wipes out of a container and wiping some of the gunk off of my stomach. She asks me simple questions like my name and age and where I go to school while I'm getting up. Then she asks me a question I'm really not prepared for.  
"So do you know what you're going to do with your baby?" she asks. It seems like an innocent question, but it sends my mother into a craze.  
"What do you mean?" she spits. Octavia looks a bit startled at my mother's tone, but keeps on talking.  
"It just seems that she's quite young. How far along are you?" Octavia questions.  
"About eight weeks," I say, pulling my shirt down and zipping up my jeans.  
"So it's still quite early. Well, we do abortions here. If you decide that's what you want to do," she says, wiping the transducer of any substance.  
"_What?!_" my mother hisses. "Why would you even suggest something like that?" Octavia looks slightly scared now. My mother advances towards her. "If my daughter wanted an abortion, she would've gotten one!" Cinna walks into the room as my mother is rambling.  
"Is there a problem here?" he says, a small envelope which I can only assume has the photos of my child in.  
"A problem? Yes, there is, actually. _Your_ assistant had the nerve, the audacity –"  
"No, Dr Pannum. No problem at all," I say, gripping my mother's arm and leading her out the door. Cinna follows us out.  
"If there are any problems, make sure to tell me," Cinna says, handing me the envelope. My mother opens her mouth to speak but I pinch her arm.  
"Certainly, Dr Pannum," I say with what I hope passed off as a smile.  
"Okay then. I'll see you in a few weeks," he says, flashing us one more smile before turning into his office and closing the door.  
"Mother!" I hiss when I'm sure he's out of ear-shot. "You can't just yell at the assistant like that!"  
"She recommended you_ abort_ the child, Katniss. I think it was none of her business," she says, tugging her arm out of my grip.  
"She was just telling me some of the options! Honestly, it was harmless," I say, grabbing her arm and making her face me. "It's okay. Really. It is." She nods and links her arm through mine.  
"Now, let's take a look at these pictures," she says as she reaches for the envelope with her free hand. She unlinks her arm from mine and opens it, pulling out three copies of the same picture. To anyone else, these just seemed like a black screen with little splodges here and there. To me, however, it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Prim's reaction to the pictures were exactly like my mother's. By the time I managed to pry the picture away from her, she had tears streaming down her face.  
"He's so pretty!" Prim cries, hugging Buttercup tightly.  
"That's obviously a girl, Primrose," my mother says, looking closely at the picture.  
'What? No. Of course it isn't. Look at him," Prim says, pointing to the little shape we've started calling Peanut.  
"Look at_ her_," Mum says, holding the picture to face me. "It's a girl. Wouldn't you say so, Katniss?"  
"I don't know, and we won't know for at least seven months," I say, taking a sip of water from my glass.  
"_Seven_ months?" Prim wails. "Why don't you want to know sooner? Surely you can find out in a few weeks or so?"  
"Yes, but I don't want to. I just want it to be a surprise," I reason.  
"But isn't Peanut even being there surprise enough?" Prim says, gesturing to my stomach.  
"Surprises are good," I say.  
"Not all surprises. The London bombings were a surprise, and they weren't good, were they?" Prim says, giving me a pointed look.  
"Yeah, but there's a difference. Peanut is going to explode," I say.  
"Your stomach will," Prim says with a smirk. My mother gives Prim a slap on the shoulder.  
"Don't say that," my mother admonishes.  
"Sorry," Prim mumbles. I laugh.  
"It's okay, kiddo," I say, getting up and heading up the stairs.  
"Where're you going?" Mum asks.  
"To my room. Gotta grab something. I'll be right back," I say, jogging up the stairs. I reach my room and throw the door open. The object that I'm looking for is right on my dresser. I pick it up and rush back downstairs.  
'What's that?" Prim says once I'm on the couch again.  
"Picture frame," I say, reaching for one of the sonograms and fitting it into the frame. "Thought it'd look nice in my room."  
"It will," Prim says, propping it up on the coffee table and admiring it.  
"I was thinking of doing an entire collection of them. First sonogram, second sonogram, so on and so forth," I say.  
"That'll be nice," Prim says. There's a knock at the door and I immediately snatch the frame up, not wanting Haymitch or anyone else to see it. I hear a chirpy voice and I immediately know that I'll make an exception for this person. I carry the picture to the front door to find Madge standing at the door. A smile etches its way onto her face when she sees me.  
"Hi," she says, dragging me into a hug. "How was it? How big is it? What does it look like. Oh my God, do you have pictures? Please tell me you have pictures," she releases in one breath. I smile and hold up the picture frame for her to see. She squeals and snatches the frame out of my hand, staring at it with wide eyes.  
"Come on," she says, dragging me up the stairs and into my room. Once we close the door she walks around my room to find the perfect place for the frame. She eventually settles on my nightstand, as she insists it should be the last thing I see at night and the first thing in the morning. Madge tells me about how her aunt is freaking out because she's gained four pounds and how she's now freaking out because the dress is too small for her. "Speaking of clothing," Madge starts, eyeing my stomach. "How long until you'll need some new clothes? Because I'd be happy to help you shop for them," she says nonchalantly.  
"You just want to choose all of the flowery clothes for me, don't you?" I ask.  
"Guilty," she says with a small smile. I pretend to gag.  
"Nothing girly, flowery or pink," I say.  
"Well, that's gonna suck at Aunt Maysilee's wedding, because all the girl have to wear something pink," Madge explains.  
"What?! But I'm not even a bridesmaid!" I whine.  
"Too bad," she says with a small smirk.  
"Damn it," I say, shoving my face into my pillow.

I awaken the next morning to the feeling of being shaken.  
"Wake up, Katniss. You don't wanna be late," I hear Prim say. I look up and see she's already dressed. My eyes shift towards the alarm clock and I see that I've only got ten minutes to get ready. Sleeping in has become a very usual occurrence these days.  
"Shit!" I screech as I leap out of bed. I rush into the bathroom and quickly brush my hair and do my teeth.  
"You know, you shouldn't swear around a little kid like me," Prim jokes.  
"Yeah, yeah. Hand me my jumper," I say, pulling my hair into a hairband and braiding it as best I can. She hands me my black jumper and I pull it on. I rush into my room and grab a pair of khaki pants. I run around, gathering my books while trying to pull on my shoes. I eventually get ready with less than a minute to spare.  
"Katniss! Hurry up!" Prim yells from downstairs. I rush down the stairs and pull Prim by her hand. We're almost at the front door when our mother stops us. She hands me my breakfast in a brown paper bag and I thank her, promising that I'll eat it in the car. I get into the car and close my door just as Prim is sliding into the passenger seat. I start the car up and within minutes I can see the school just ahead of us.  
"Damn, Katniss. I said hurry up, not speed," Prim says, rolling up her window.  
"Technically the same thing, little duck," I say, pulling into the car park. She kisses me on the cheek and jumps out of the car, slamming the door and rushing towards her friends. I get out and lock the doors. My stomach rumbles and I remember my breakfast. I open the bag and find a granola bar, a banana and a small carton of apple juice. I open the straw to my apple juice and attempt to stab the straw through the lid. No matter how hard I press, the straw just won't break through. After many attempts, I hear a chuckle and look to my right.  
"Need some help there?" Peeta asks, gesturing to my apple juice. I blush but nod, handing him the juice and watching him easily stab the juice box.  
"No fair," I say, sticking the straw in my mouth and drinking. I hear more footsteps running up behind me and I flick my head around to see Finnick chasing after us.  
"Peeta! Wait up!" he says. Peeta and I stop and wait for Finnick. He reaches us and gives us a smile. His eyes then trail down to my juice box.  
"Wait..." he says. He smiles and reaches into his bag, bringing out an identical juice box to mine. "Juice box buddies!" he says with a grin. He stabs a whole in his juice box we knock juices.  
"Can I be a juice box buddy?" Peeta asks in a small voice.  
"Depends. Do you have a juice box?" I ask.  
"I think I have some grape juice at home," he says.  
"Not the same," Finnick says, linking his arm with mine and walking off. We get about half a metre before Peeta starts fake crying and we walk back. I put my arm around him.  
"Think of it this way," I start, "Someone, somewhere, is drinking grape juice right now. They can be your juice box buddy."  
"Thanks, I feel a lot better now," he says with a small smile. I open my mouth to speak when I feel something clamp around my arm. I turn around, expecting to see Madge or Annie, but instead I'm met with the piercing grey eyes of Gale Hawthorne.

**I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and the next one should be up in a few days. And a little review never hurt anybody. **


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